Food is the basic need of human beings and the world works to satisfy their hunger needs. Humans need food that provides all the essential nutrients for survival.
Food that is rich in iron, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, etc serves as the best foods.
One such food is Porridge, a cereal breakfast. Porridge is made from starchy plants, especially grains.
It can be cooked sweet or salty depending on the choice. Besides breakfast, it is often taken as a snack.
Porridge is made from various plants, but the two most common types are Cream of Wheat and Grits. Cream of wheat is made from wheat itself and Grits are made from grounded corn.
These have high nutritional values.
Key Takeaways
- Cream of Wheat is a hot breakfast cereal made from finely ground wheat, offering a smooth texture and mild flavor.
- Grits are a hot breakfast cereal made from coarsely ground corn, yielding a more granular texture and a slightly sweet, corn-like taste.
- Cream of Wheat and grits are popular hot cereals but differ in their primary ingredients, texture, and flavor profiles.
Cream of Wheat vs Grits
The difference between Cream of Wheat and Grits is that cream of Wheat is made up of the wheat itself and its texture is smoother and therefore is more suitable to make porridge whereas Grits are made from the grounded corn and have a grainier texture, therefore, it can be eaten with other foods such as eggs.
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Comparison Table
Parameter of Comparison | Cream of Wheat | Grits |
---|---|---|
Composition | Cream of wheat is made from grounded wheat. | Grits is made up of grounded corn. |
Texture | Cream of wheat is creamier, therefore, it is more suited with milk. | Grits have a grainier texture. |
Taste | Cream of wheat is sweet in taste. | Grits is salty in taste. |
Served with | Usually served in milk with sweet toppings such as honey, maple syrup, dried fruits, cinnamon, etc. | Served with eggs and cheese with toppings of butter, salt, pepper, tomatoes, etc. |
Serving time | Cream of wheat is usually taken in breakfast. | Grits can be taken as any meal as it has a nutritional value of complete food. |
What is Cream of Wheat?
Cream of Wheat is a porridge made from wheat semolina. Cream of Wheat was first manufactured in 1893 by Grand Forks, North Dakota, US and therefore it has its dominance in the North.
Cream of Wheat is a trademark product manufactured by the company.
Cream of Wheat is made by mixing farina in boiling water or milk. It is stirred until it becomes thick. Adding milk to Cream of Water makes it creamier and tastier.
Cream of Wheat has a smooth texture and white in color. It is served in milk with sweet toppings such as honey, maple syrup, dried fruits, fruits, cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, etc.
Cream of Wheat is low in calories, has important micronutrients. One cup of it approximately has 4 gm Proteins, 28 gm Carbs.
It is also rich in fiber, vitamins such as B6, riboflavin, thiamine, calcium, selenium. It has a good amount of iron that it serves as a key source of it for vegetarians.
Although Cream of wheat offers many health benefits, it has some downsides too. It.contains gluten that gives it the elasticity, therefore, it is not suited for gluten intolerant people.
Cream of wheat also has an amount of sodium that is around 25% more than the prescribed daily intake. Therefore, the cream of wheat is not a great dietary addition for everyone.
What is Grits?
Grits are a kind of porridge made from grounded corn corners. The grits were inspired by an American tribal dish during the 16th century.
The dish was a dominant food in the Southern parts of the US.
Grits are prepared by mixing four-part milk or water and one part cornmeal and cooking for about 30 minutes. Grits have a coarser or rough texture as compared to Cream of Wheat.
Grits are grainier, they have a slightly yellow or pale color. Grits are usually served hot and savory with butter, salt, cheese, pepper, corn, tomatoes, onions, etc.
They are also taken as a meal with eggs.
Grits are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. One cup of Grits contains182 calories, 4gm Proteins and 38 gm carbs.
It is also rich in fibers, floated, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, etc. Grits are rich in iron and B vitamins. They are packed with antioxidants like lutein, zeaxanthin, etc.
Grits are also naturally gluten-free.
One of the downsides of grits is that it is served usually with high-calorie foods, therefore, can lead to weight gain. Another downside of it is that after processing it loses some of the essential nutrients.
Main Differences Between Cream of Wheat and Grits
- Cream of wheat is made up of grounded wheat, grinded into very small parts whereas Grits are made up of the grounded corn.
- Cream of wheat has a smoother or creamier texture while Grits have a coarser or trainer texture.
- Cream of wheat is sweet in taste while grits are salty to taste.
- Cream of wheat is particularly rich in nature and therefore serves as a key source of iron for vegetarians, it also contains a handful number of vitamins. Grits are rich in iron and minerals like calcium.
- Cream of wheat contains gluten; therefore, it is not a suitable meal for all whereas Grits are naturally gluten-free.
- Cream of wheat is generally served hot in milk while Grits are served with eggs and cheese.
- Cream of wheat has sweet toppings such as maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, etc while Grits have toppings such as butter, salt, pepper, onions and tomatoes.
- Cream of wheat is taken in breakfast while Grits can be taken in any meal.
- Cream of Wheat is a dominant food in the North while Grits are dominant in the South.
Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.